When Vietnam announced that it worked with the US researchers to develop a vaccine to fight African swine fever, great hope was kindled in the animal husbandry sector in not only Vietnam but also the word, said French daily newspaper Le Figaro.

In an article published in early June, Le Figaro praised Vietnam's success in becoming the first in the world to research and produce a vaccine to administer to pigs against African swine fever.

"Vietnam announces it has developed a vaccine against African swine fever, the first in the world", the headline by Le Figaro. Screenshot: Nguyen Ngan

Vietnam’s vaccine achievement will contribute to preventing the disease, which is very destructive to livestock, the article stressed.

Earlier, on June 3, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said the NAVET-ASFVAC vaccine produced by Vietnam’s Navetco National Veterinary JSC was the first in the world to secure authorization for its commercial circulation.

“This is a milestone of the veterinary industry. With immunity lasting six months, the vaccine will be a shield for hog-raising industry and pig production globally,” Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Agriculture Phung Duc Tien said in a statement.

Over 4,000 research projects related to the disease and vaccine development have been announced, but no commercial vaccine has been available so far.

Vietnam began working on producing a vaccine in 2020 with the help of American experts. Following five lab trials, the vaccine has proved to be able to protect at least 80% of immunized pigs, which retain immunity for six months.

African swine fever, one of the most devastating livestock diseases, was first detected in Vietnam in February 2019 and forced the country to cull around 20% of its hog herd last year.

The disease has cost Vietnam over VND30 trillion (US$1.29 billion), and affected 3.5 million farmers and hundreds of businesses.

It originated in Africa before spreading to Europe and Asia and has killed hundreds of millions of pigs globally. African swine fever is harmless to humans.